Amalgamator.



A. L. LAWSON.

AMALGAMATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1911.

Patented July 15, 1913.

2 SHEETBTSHEET 1.

coLunmA ImANoauArm cov, vin-muero", ov c.

A. L. LAWSON.

AMALGAMATOB.

APPLIOATION FILED sBPT.14, 1911.

1,067,352. Patented July 15, 1913.

2 SHEETS-'SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANonRAPn-l co., wAsHxNu'roN. D c.

,mmwmmmmea UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED L. LAWSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE S. WELCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AMALGAMATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15,1 913.

Application led September 14, 1911. Serial No. 649,264.

To alt fur/mnt i may concern.'

Be it known that I, LrlncD L. LAwsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in malgamators, of which the following is a full, Clear. concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

My invention relates to amalgamators and has for its object the provision of improved apparatus of this character.

h'Iy invention may be carried out in various forms7 but in this application I have set forth one specific form ot' carrying out my invention without intending otl course to limit myself to such specific form.

My invention has more particular reference to apparatus for separating gold and silver or compounds thereof from ore through the use of a mercury bath.

One feature of my invention is the violent projeetion of the ore into the mercury to subi'nerge the same therein7 while yet at the same time maintaining' a placid condition of the niercury on its surface.

In the general form herein shown I in'- troduee the ore into the apparatus and force it through a portion of the apparatus by the agency of a fluid jet which may preferably be ot acid-neutralizing characteristics. The mixture is t'orced into the mercury bath and suitably deflected in such manner as noty to disturb the substantial placidity of the mercury bath. r he metals which are desired to separate being heavier than nier-f cury tall to the bottom and the residue rises to the surface o't the mercury from whence the overflow is carried through additional mercury baths, all as will be more clearly apparent from the specifi(l description of one form of my invention which I will now set forth in connection with the accomjmnying drawingsr` in which:

Figure I is a sectional view of a portion of an amalgamator constructed in accordance with my invention: Fig. 2 is a sectional view ou lines (z`o of Fig. l with the addition of apparatus omitted from Fig. 1 g Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2, and: Figs. 4 and 5 are details of construction.

Referring more specifically to Fig. 1, I set forth a bowl l having the steam jacket i l t 2. all Supported upon legs 3, 3. The steam jacket Q is formed between the walls of the bowl l and an outer inclosing vall 4. The bowl I is lined with ar lining of glass 5, a suitable bushing t3 being provided at the lower orifice. A pipe 7 leads the steam into the steam jacket 2 and a pipe 8 leads it therefrom. Mercury 9 filled to the level shown is provided in this bowl. The lower orifice is extended into a tube 1() provided with a valve Il so that the howl l may be emptied of its contents if desired. An annular chamber l2 is provided around the top portion of the bowl 1 and is filled with mercury I3 to the level shown. Spouts 14, It lead from the bowl l to carry the overflow as will appear hereinafter and discharge the same into channels 15 preferably of the silver coated covering variety, which channels l5 unite to form a spout lt which discharges this overtlow into the second portion of the apparatus consisting of the separating device 1T. A. tube 18 extends through the steam jacket and opens into the interior of the bowl l, which tube 18 is bent as shown more clearly in Fig. 5, and is adapted to be rotated so that the tube` or outlet portion otl this tube may be lowered to any given position by rotation so as to maintain the mercury t) within the bowl 1 at any given predetermined level. The same general character of construction is utilized in c mnection with the annular groove 12 by means of the tube 19 which is also rotatable so that its upper oritice may be adjusted to the height to be occupied b v the mercury in the grom'e 12. cil'- cular column 2t) mounted in two halves is supported by means o't'othe arms 21 on the bowl l. iithin the column 2t) is a second column 22 closed at the top and held in spaced relation to the column 2() by means of arms The column 2O has a Haring bottom wall Qt substantially wider than the open oriticel of the column 20. A plurality of tubes 25 are fastened to the hollow casing Qtl and communicate with the interior therea of and these tubes project downwardly into the space between the columns 20 and A tube Q7 supplies Huid preferal'ily of an acid-neutralizing character under pressure to the chambeil 2() so that this fluid under pressure may issue from the lower oritice at 2S of said tubes 25. The ore is dropped into the upper Haring mouth 29 ot the Column Q0 and falls by the aetion ot gravity until it reaches the lower extremities 2S ot the tuhes where the pressure ot the tiuid issuing trom said tuloes terms a t liet to Vtorce the ore against the Haring end t 24 ot the eolumn Q2 and into the mercury i hath. distributing' the same over a large area, t hut introducing this ore at a sutiicient depth t so to maintain the Comparative plaeidity t ot' the mereury surfaee. The ore which is to inelude metals heavier' than mereury, or whatever other suhstanee used in plaee ot f mereury. is thus thrown violently into the l mereury hath and the materials heavier t than the liquid whieh in this instance is4 mereury tall to the hottom and congregate I about the lower oritiee et the howl 1. rhe heavier materials then enter the pipe, 8 and i rest there, and may he withdrawn through the. agency ot the Talve 11 as desired. lt will also he. noted that these heavier materials h v rt'alling` helow the ilaring' mouth 2l are protected Jfrom the violent movement ot 'tresh incoming' ore as the saine is toreed out through the lower oritiee ot the relumn 2t).

the steam jaehet 2 is used to heat the mereury so as to prevent tlouring' and also to inerease its tiuidity and also to lower the speeitie gravity itl eertain metals sueh as `e'old and silver are to he separated.

Iet'ore introdueinV the ore into tht` mouth Qt), it is preterahly ground so as to pass through a sieve ot one hundred mesh. iti will otl eourse he understoed that. the liquid v to he used depends upon the speeitie gravitvv l desired and the speeitie gravity ot the t metals or eompounds thereot whirh are to he separated hy this liquid. The gold and l silver or other metals whieh it is desired te i separate falling; to the hettoni ot' the howl `l,l the remaining' portion otl the ore is huoyed to the top ot' the mereury and rests on the surt'aee until it overtiows over the extended wall it() ot this howl and on top ot: the ineri eury within the annular 5i-ove 12. (l-ertain metals whirl) ha ve heen earried-mer the. top ot' the wall 23() may drop to the hottem otI the mereury troughlt. hut the greater p tion ot' the residue raiels through the spouts Yl-t into the troughs 15 and through the spout 1V into the auxiliar)v separator 1i". This auxiliary separator whieh is shown in Fig'. Q and a erfss-sertii n oit .vhieh is shown in Fig. l roux-ists prat'tieally ot a tre-ugh having;` a hottom wall til. side walls i12, 2 and an end wall 12%. there heine' no end wall at the lower' portion ot this separator 1T (Fig. 2). The bottom wall 31 is provided with a plurality of troughs 34e, Bat. which con- G0 tain mercury to the level showin These troughs are provided with hatile plates 36 are shown more elairly in Fig. 3. steam eoil 21T havingl preterahly three legs in eaeh trough serves to heat the mercury for the same purpose as outlined in Connection with the inereury in the howl 1. A pipe 38 having transverse pipes 3) serves to furnish tluid under pressure through the pipes 30 and outl of oritiees 40, to therehy Create a jet downwardly on thi` entering side ot' eaeh trough 34. as shown more elearly in Fig. fi. rthe residue issuing trom the spout 141 having passed through the spout 1G is depressed on the plate 31 and in its movement over the separator 1T reaehes the tirst trough 31 where this residue is itoreed hy means of the jets issuing from the oritiees +10 into the first mereurv hath. 'lhe metals designed for separ: tion again tall to the hottom and residue ore is earried over the hatile plate lt to the next trough itt. and thus it is Carried ,surressi\'el-\' through the various troughs Ettuntil it reai'hes the portion t1 ot the hatlle plate filY troni whenee this residue is supposed to he tree t'rom the metals designed ter separatirn and trom whence it may he diseharjel'ed trom the maehine. ltotatahlv mounted pipes 4i? control the level ot the mereury in the troughs 31 similarly to the pipes 1S and 1t).

'the ahove explanation will serve to illustrate one Yform ot carrying out my invention, and as t aai not limiting' myself to this partieular ef nstruetion, my invention being eapahle et a variety of ditierent uses and moditie; tions.

ll'hat l elaim as new and desire to seeure hy VLetters Patent is:

1n apparatus ot the eliaraeter deserihed the eomhination `with a tank. ot' a tuhe having' an upper ttaring' mouth in'olieeting within said tank` a seeond tube closed at its upper end and having` a lower flaring mouth .within said lirst aforesaid tuhe and projeetinn helow the same, and a plurality ot' duets extending hetween the said two tuhes tor 'towing' lifpiid into the space hetween the said tuhes.

Vin witness whereot', l hereunto suhserihe my name this bith day ot" September, A. I). 191i.

ALFRED L. i'iiUVt'ON. li'i tnesses:

A. Si. UnNXisoN, Hamai. tlomas.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

